Oct. 19, 2009 issue
On MCC buttons, modest message of peace endures
By Amanda Thorsteinsson Mennonite Central Committee CanadaPage:
- 1
- 2
KITCHENER, Ont. — Nan Cressman is amazed at the success of a small, red peace button.
Students wear Mennonite Central Committee’s peace button. — Photo provided by MCC
“I just thought they were a small addition to our usual peace work,” she said.
Cressman helped create the button — which reads “To remember is to work for peace” — 20 years ago in Ontario as part of Mennonite Central Committee’s Peace Sunday initiative for Remembrance Day, Nov. 11.
Since then, the buttons have spread from Ontario churches throughout Canada and beyond.
“I never dreamed they would travel that far,” Cressman said. “I am thrilled that has happened.”
Nov. 11 — also called Veterans Day and Armistice Day — was the date in 1918 when nations involved in World War I signed a cease-fire agreement.
On Remembrance Day, Canadians traditionally pause and remember those who have died in military service. Many wear small red poppies distributed by the Royal Canadian Legion in schools, workplaces and public gathering places.
Two decades ago, a number of Mennonite churches in southern Ontario began expressing their discomfort with the emphasis such campaigns put on military service, including the expectation that people should wear a poppy.
The churches brought their concerns forward to Cressman, who, at the time, was in charge of the newly created peace program at MCC Ontario. The need for an alternative to the poppy struck a chord with Cressman, who, along with her colleagues, began imagining another way that people of peace could show respect for all victims of war.
“While Remembrance Day acknowledges the suffering that happens during war, it also affirms that wars are necessary,” said Esther Epp-Tiessen, MCC Canada’s peace program coordinator.
Page:
- 1
- 2
Comment on the article On MCC buttons, modest message of peace endures
The purpose of comments is to engage in dialogue. We expect commenters to treat authors and each other as each would want to be treated. Respectful criticism is welcomed; offensive comments or parts of comments will be removed by the site administrator. Name and comment will be posted; email address is for follow-up only and will not be made public.
Download
Download a free PDF showing the populations of
Mennonite groups and other Anabaptists.
